Katherine Jellison is Professor of History and Director of the Central Region Humanities Center at Ohio University. She is in the process of editing a book on the six women born in Ohio that would later become First Ladies of the United States. What are the commonalities of these women? What makes them particularly midwestern? And what sites are accessible for learning more about them?
Jellison’s books include Entitled to Power: Farm Women and Technology, 1913-1963 (1993), It’s Our Day: America’s Love Affair with the White Wedding, 1945-2005 (2008), and (with Steven D. Reschly) Amish Women and the Great Depression (2023). She has written numerous journal articles and book chapters about topics ranging from the Civil War correspondence of a Massachusetts farm family to U.S. First Ladies. Her commentary on gender and politics appears frequently in such media outlets as the BBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Thank you to Board Member Katherine Jellison for giving this talk to the Research and Interpretation Committee in January 2025.